Artificial Intelligence?

Interviews are a READY FOR MEDIA specialty. Will there be a time in the not-too-distant future when your media interview will be conducted and critiqued by AI (Artificial Intelligence?) Photo courtesy of Commercial Integrator It’s already happening in the workplace. AI has infiltrated our jobs and even our job interviews.  Tech Crunch explains that in AI job interviews, “facial and …

The Conscious Communicator

Ever thought about what it is that makes us human? Complex, self aware, or conscious communicator? According to The New York Times, “self-recognition is often taken as a measure of intelligence and self-awareness.” Research shows, though, this characteristic is not unique to human beings. Photo courtesy of Mental Floss Self Awareness Dolphins, for instance, are known to be extremely intelligent …

And the Winner is …

There are times when we can’t help but smirk at obvious communication blunders made by celebrities and other public figures. Then there are also times when they manage to get it just right. Such was the case with both Drake, during his Grammy acceptance speech for best rap song, “God’s Plan,” and Glenn Close, as she accepted her Golden Globe for …

A Pre-emptive Strike

Before his election to the Presidency in 2001, George W. Bush successfully apologized for his past bad boy behavior and promised that he had been reformed. Now, former Vice President Joe Biden is taking on issues before they are used against him as a possible Presidential candidate.                           …

Laughter: the Best Medicine

“Start with a joke,” many speakers are advised. And that’s exactly how Saturday Night Live head writers and Weekend Update hosts, Michael Che and Colin Jost began as hosts of Monday night’s 70th Primetime Emmy Awards. Diversity, a major topic for the entertainment industry, in general and award shows, in particular, was gris for their mill.         …

Outside the Box

In an essay written for ELLE UK in 2015, Meghan Markle, new fiancé to Prince Harry, said, “My dad is Caucasian and my mom is African American. I’m half black and half white.” With the word pictures so crucial for good writing and public speaking, she notes a traumatic moment in her childhood when, “My teacher told me to check the box …

Facebook’s Fireside Chat

It is often said that with great power comes great responsibility. Returning from parental leave, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg demonstrated the 21st Century version of former president Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “fireside chat.” Mr. Zuckerberg used his social media platform to announce that his company may have inadvertently participated in Russia’s tampering of the 2016 presidential election. After hiring numerous investigators, …

Three Strikes … You’re Out

In mid September, New York TIMES reporter Kenneth Vogel sat down at a Washington D.C. restaurant, BLT Steak, expecting a routine lunch meeting. However, a media mistake of not so rare proportions was about to fall in his lap. Over a salad of tuna nicoise and iced tea, he overheard a public conversation between Ty Cobb, who is overseeing the White …

Out of the mouth of babes

Media theorist Marshall McLuhan once said, “The medium is the message,” which could not be more true in today’s modern age. The internet and social media have given voice to so many who would be otherwise unheard. Perhaps the most fascinating voices are those that have a better grasp of the new media than its predecessors — those under the age …

In Other Words

There were a lot of firsts at the 2016 Republican National Convention, but Melania Trump’s speech was not one of them. Mrs. Trump’s apparent plagiarism of First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech from the 2008 Democratic National Convention created quite a stir from the public, the media, and the Trump campaign. And the Republicans’ attempts to explain it away challenged the …